I was in a meeting this morning – just after the announcement of Nielsen BuzzMetrics hit the blogosphere – discussing Nielsen’s DVR metering efforts of all things. The DVR metering only started the last week of December, but it’s clear from both efforts, DVR and BuzzMetrics, that Nielsen is committed to new technology and the changing face of the entertainment industry, specifically television.
First things first, I’m happy for Pete Blackshaw of Intelliseek and Blogpulse who will serve as Chief Marketing and Customer Satisfaction Officer of Nielsen BuzzMetrics. I got to meet Pete last April (where I also met Steve Rubel, who comments on the deal) and he struck me as a very motivated, forward-thinking marketing professional who saw the coming intersection (convergence?) of various media. Congratulations!
Second, I think Nielsen (and it’s parent VNU) are
- early enough to the “buzz” or “viral” tracking game and
- a respected name and established player
that they ought to have no trouble convincing new and existing clients of their relevance and expertise.
Imagine how much a company like MTV networks would use the services BuzzMetrics would provide. They could track pass-along of MTV OverDrive clips or IFILM Viral Video and tie that learning into ratings/share data of their on-the-air counterparts on both MTV and VH1? Imagine the learning that big media could now get from their number one research partner about bloggers, podcasters and vloggers (who might be making competing content or parody spots) discussing their networks? Brilliant!
I’m no huge fan of BlogPulse as a service – I prefer Technorati – but it is very attractive and easy to use. Here’s hoping this new mash-up of Blogpulse and BuzzMetrics under the VNU/Nielsen moniker pays dividends for everyone involved. I think it will. How could it not?
Before now, Nielsen’s biggest clients have had to rely on motivated individuals (like me) who work internally to track these kinds of things. Now Nielsen can offer them services similar to a Technorati or Icerocket or whatever, all with the Nielsen seal of approval.
I think this new business only makes it easier for those of us tasked with performing, measuring and evaluating “buzz” to have solid, third-party research to back up our work.